James Harden starred in the win. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images The Celtics rode that wave of momentum to then take the lead and seemingly put themselves into a position to win the game late, only for a Harden bucket to force overtime.
Both teams traded buckets to open overtime, with neither able to really pull away as a thrilling finish to Monday’s game loomed.
A critical call went against the 76ers though as Embiid went at Marcus Smart and scored, pleading for the and-1 only for the referees to rule it an offensive foul against the Philadelphia big man.
Rivers challenged the call but it was ruled unsuccessful, giving the Celtics a chance to put a dagger through the Sixers on the other end of the floor.
Al Horford had a clean look from deep but couldn’t drain the 3-pointer, with Philadelphia instead regaining the lead after he fouled Embiid, who made both free throws.
The late controversy though was far from over as Tatum appeared to push off Maxey before hitting a tough 3-pointer that could have just as easily been ruled an offensive foul.
“It was awful that that wasn’t called… it was a push off,” Rivers said post-game to reporters.
So, Harden took matters into his own hands after Embiid drew a double-team and passed out to his open teammate who made a big-time 3-pointer to give the Sixers a 116-115 lead.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had a chance to call timeout, with 19 seconds still on the clock, but instead let his team play it out — and it backfired.
Even Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, a passionate Celtics fan, implored on Twitter: “Call a f***ing timeout”. On a side note, Kyrgios’ Twitter feed is relatable reading for Boston supporters this morning.
Boston took far too long to get a shot off and while Smart made his 3-point attempt it was after the buzzer as the Sixers held on for a much-needed win.
The Sixers rode a strong start from Embiid to a 27-19 lead after the first quarter, ending the period of 10-0 run.
That was despite Philadelphia struggling from 3-point range (1-for-9), instead aggressively attacking the rim and finding plenty of success in the paint.
Joel Embiid and James Harden combined for 76 points. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP As a result, it was no surprise to see Embiid (12 points) leading the Sixers in scoring after the opening quarter while Maxey provided plenty of hustle on the offensive boards.
As for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown matched Embiid with 12 points of his own and Derrick White had five but given they scored 19 in the quarter, there obviously wasn’t much production elsewhere.
In fact, all other Boston players outside of that duo went 0-for-12 from the field to start Monday’s game.
While Embiid was on fire early for Philadelphia, it was Harden who really started to take over in the second quarter, putting up 15 points to go with four assists in the period.
Harden erupted for 45 points in Game 1 to inspire the Sixers to an unlikely victory on the road without Embiid but had combined for just 28 points in the next two games of the series.
Of course, some drop in production was to be expected with Embiid’s return and in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Shooting 5-for-28 from the floor in those losses is though.
James Harden stepped up. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP “You just talk to him and you keep telling him to keep shooting,” Embiid said when asked what kind of advice he would offer Harden after the Game 3 defeat.
“Be aggressive. Can’t get too high, can’t get too low. Some nights you’re going to make lots of other shots, a lot of tough ones, and some nights you’re not going to make them. So it’s about finding other ways to impact the game.”
Harden did just that on Monday, finding his shooting rhythm while also dishing out buckets for his teammates in just the kind of performance Philadelphia needed from the 33-year-old.
The Sixers took a 59-50 lead into the third quarter on the back of that strong showing from Harden while Embiid finished the half with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
In reality though it should have been a much more dominant lead for Philadelphia as Boston stormed back to score 10 points in the final 73 seconds of the quarter.
What would have been particularly promising for the Celtics was the fact Tatum had only scored two points and yet they found themselves trailing by just nine.
Tatum scored his first bucket of the game with 28 seconds remaining in the half, otherwise shooting 1-for-9 from the field.
Jayson Tatum started to heat up late in the game. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP Fortunately for the Celtics, Tatum picked up where he left off as he opened the third quarter with four points and ended up scoring 13 overall in the period.
Harden wasn’t letting up either though, adding another seven points and two assists to his personal tally as the Sixers jumped out to a 76-61 lead with seven minutes left in the quarter.
Philadelphia though came to rue another sluggish end to the period, with Boston closing the quarter on a 8-2 run to trail 92-83 heading into the final 12 minutes of the game.
The next challenge for the Sixers was to wrestle back some of that momentum in the non-Embiid minutes as the fourth quarter opened.
It was tough going for both teams early on though as the Sixers and Celtics went scoreless for the first two minutes before Derrick White dunked it home for the opening points of the quarter.
That prompted Sixers coach Doc Rivers to call a timeout and while Embiid had carried Philadelphia to victory so many times before, this didn’t look like one he could shoulder.
Emotional Embiid receiving MVP trophy | 01:46
Instead, the MVP appeared to be tiring down the stretch as a few crucial shots from Harden kept the Sixers from completely imploding.
It was still a collapse of epic proportions though as the Celtics charged to a 105-100 lead with two minutes left, although a Harden bucket and P.J. Tucker and-1 later levelled the game.
In the end though the Celtics still were in the more dominant position and Smart made two late free-throws to put Boston up 107-105 heading into the final 30 seconds.
The Sixers had one final chance to either level or win the game and it was Harden who once again seized the moment, floating it in to tie the contest up at 107-107.
Still, with 16 seconds on the clock, the Celtics had an opportunity to win it on the buzzer as Tatum kicked it out to an open Smart but the 3-point attempt missed, sending the game to overtime.
In the end it was the Sixers who finished on top despite being on the wrong end of some controversial calls, levelling the series at 2-2 as a road trip to Boston awaits for Game 5.
